MOBILE, Alabama -- A man is in surgery after a confrontation
with a police officer turned violent Wednesday afternoon, said Mobile Police Chief James
Barber.

The man, who has not been identified, was shot by a police officer after he pulled out a gun while the officer was responding to a suspicious
circumstances complaint, Barber said.

The officer was alone and patrolling the area
near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive around 1:40 p.m. when he was alerted by residents of two
men believed to be selling narcotics at the intersection of Persimmon and Live
Oak streets, the chief said.

"(The officer was) responding to a suspicious call in the neighborhood, a possible drug violation, and he is by himself," Barber said.

The suspects were located at the intersection and the officer identified himself, police said.

"One of the suspects started to resist and the officer used soft-hands approach at that time," Barber said. "When he put his hands on the guy to try to restrain him, he withdrew a weapon from underneath his shirt. It was a handgun, but that's all I know at this point."

Multiple shots were fired, but the second suspect was not armed during the incident, police said.

"When the weapon comes out from under the shirt, that's when the shooting starts," Barber said.

The officer involved in the shooting and the second suspect were not injured, although Barber could not immediately comment on the
condition of the armed suspect. The man was in surgery as of 3:10 p.m., the
chief said.

Police recovered a gun, believed to belong to the suspect,
from the scene.

Barber noted that the area is one of the "hot
spots" that police have targeting in recent months.